Ring having a rigid structure but having a hole of variable diameter

ABSTRACT

A ring, such as a ring of precious material such as gold or hard stone like onyx or agate, has a rigid annular body bounding a hole to allow a finger to be inserted, this hole having a wall bounding it and fitting the finger. The wall is radially expandable so the diameter of the hole can be altered and allow the ring to be fitted to various finger sizes.

This invention relates to a ring according to the preamble of the main claim.

As it is known, a ring of precious material (such as gold or silver), of hard stone (such as onyx or agate) or merely metal (common metal, such as steel) or plastics, comprises an annular body bounding a hole which allows a user to fit the ring onto a finger. Because the annular body is of undeformable material, the diameter of the hole is fixed and therefore the ring can only be fitted to a particular finger size (and remain adequately secured upon it). For this reason there are various “measurements” for a particular type of ring so that they can be used on different types of fingers.

However, all this makes it necessary for the ring manufacturer to provide for the production of different sizes for each type of ring, with a considerable allocation of capital and materials in cases where the manufactured article is of a precious material or stone, and with the risk that some products will remain unsold. If, in addition to this, the ring may bear one or more precious stones, the manufacturer's economic commitment is even higher.

The object of this invention is to provide a ring having a rigid body, for example of metal or hard stone, which can be independently adjusted to a plurality of sizes i.e. which can be fitted to a plurality of user finger sizes.

In particular, the object of the invention is to provide a ring of the abovementioned type which, although being adjustable to different fingers sizes, has a satisfactory appearance that is wholly identical to that of a rigid ring according to the prior art.

Another object is that of providing a ring of the abovementioned type which is simple and safe to use.

These and other objects, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art, are accomplished through a ring according to the appended claims.

For a better understanding of this invention, the following drawings are attached by way of a non-limiting example, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first ring according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the ring of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the ring of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of part of the ring of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the part of the ring in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows a front view of the part of the ring of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the part of the ring of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a second ring according to the invention;

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of an internal part of the ring of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows a top view of the part of the ring of

FIG. 9 in a position of use;

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of the part of FIG. 9 in a different position of use;

FIG. 12 shows a top view of the part of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 shows a front view of the part of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of a third ring according to the invention;

FIG. 15 shows a front view of the ring of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 shows a perspective view of the ring of FIG. 14 in a different position of use;

FIG. 17 shows a front view of the ring of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 shows a perspective view of a part of the ring of FIG. 14;

FIG. 19 shows a side view of the part of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of a different part of the ring of FIG. 1 in a first position of use;

FIG. 21 shows a front view of the part of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 shows a perspective view of the part of FIG. 20 in a different position of use;

FIG. 23 shows a front view of the part of FIG. 22,

FIG. 24 shows a perspective view of a further different part of the ring of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 25 shows a front view of the part of the ring of FIG. 24.

With reference to the above mentioned figures, a first ring according to the invention is indicated by 1 and comprises an annular body 2 bounding a hole 3 for the insertion in a user's finger. The ring may be of metal (for example gold) or hard stone (for example onyx); in the figures it is shown without any precious stone associated to its body 2, but it is to be understood that one or more of such stones can be placed on at least part of its outer surface 6 (with reference to hole 3).

The hole 3 has an inner wall 10. According to the invention, this wall can be radially expanded to allow the diameter D of the hole to be altered so that it can fit different finger sizes (i.e. transverse dimensions of the fingers).

In order to obtain the radial expandability of wall 10 of the hole 3, an annular or partly annular deformable member 13 is located adjacent to it in a seat (not shown) provided in that part, the member being capable of expanding radially between that seat in order to automatically enlarge diameter D according to the size of the finger on which ring 1 is placed. As a consequence, said diameter D can adopt various values depending upon such expansion, from a minimum value corresponding to the undeformed member 13 to a maximum value corresponding to the maximum deformation of that member.

In a first embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 4-7, the deformable member 13 comprises a perimetral frame 14 in the shape of the ring (and of wall 10 of the hole 3) or substantially that of the latter. This frame may in turn be annular, such as a closed ring or an open ring, the part which may be missing from the open ring being supplemented by a portion of body 2 of ring 1 (as in the situation which will be described below).

Frame 14 has two lateral annular parts 16A and 16B which match the shape of wall 10 of ring 1 and bound an internal space 17 in which there are a plurality of elements 18 attached to such annular parts 16A, 16B which can move relative to each other in opposition to a spring 19. Starting from a position in which they are close together, said elements 18 may move mutually apart as illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 7.

Elements 18 have opposing faces or surfaces 18A, 18B, such faces 18B facing hole 3 of ring 1 when member 13 is associated with wall 10 of that hole. When elements 18 are close together (first position of use and resting position), their faces 18B project into hole 3 and define a first diameter of the latter (which we will define as d₁). When the ring is fitted onto a finger, if its size is larger than the diameter d₁ of abovementioned hole 3, the elements 18 move apart from each other pressed by the finger, opposing spring 19; they therefore arrange themselves in a position with respect to hole 3 such as to form a second diameter (which shall be namedd₂), which is larger than the first (d₁; i.e. d₂>d₁).

Should a user have an even “larger” finger, the elements 18 will move further apart to form a further diameter of hole 3 (which shall be named d₃) which is larger than the second diameter (i.e. d₃>d₂).

Thus, depending on the dimensions of the finger, the elements 18 may be mutually displaced in opposition to spring 19 to define different (generic) diameters D of hole 3. The various diameters of the latter are defined continuously, and not discretely (i.e. there are no predefined positions for elements 18 where these would define predefined diameters of hole 3); this makes it possible to offer a plurality of “sizes” corresponding to a plurality of hole diameters 3 in a single ring 1 provided with member 13, these sizes varying continuously from a value corresponding to the resting position in which elements 18 are close together to a position of maximum spacing which can be achieved by those elements.

Spring 19 is preferably a coil spring and opposes the “expansion” movement of elements 18. This spring is suitably located with respect to the elements, for example on top of them, and has two ends 19A and 19B which are fixed and integral with pins 26 and 27 associated with the outermost elements 18 and are attached to frame 16. Obviously it is also possible to provide a resilient member for each pair of adjacent elements 18.

Member 13 with frame 16 is particularly suitable for a ring 1 of hard stone where the original diameter of the corresponding hole cannot be changed. In this case, the member 13 is preassembled and inserted from one side of hole 3 in the ring. In this situation this member is preferably inserted through the annular part 16B of smaller diameter than that of 16A which on the contrary leans against a side wall 7 of the ring on the side of hole 3 (see FIG. 1).

FIGS. 8 to 13 show a second embodiment of the invention. In these figures, parts corresponding to those already described in relation to FIGS. 1-7 are indicated using the same reference numbers.

FIG. 8 shows a ring 1 made of metal and has at its hole 3 a member 13 that is not provided with a frame 16. This member is inserted into the seat provided in wall 10 of the aforesaid hole after having been preassembled; as the ring is made of metal, its hole 3 may be deformed (in a known manner) in order to locate member 13 on its wall. For this reason the latter is not provided with a frame 16.

This solution provides for abovementioned member 13 to have a plurality of moving elements 18 opposing spring 19 (shown in a dashed line in FIGS. 9-12) and having projections 30 projecting into said elements 18 which are capable of acting together in order to define an end stop for the expansion movement of member 13. In particular, when the member is in a first working or resting position (and it is not “expanded” or enlarged), adjacent projections 30 of two consecutive moving elements 18 are spaced (FIGS. 9 and 10). In the maximum enlargement position of member 13, these projections lean one against the other (see FIGS. 11 and 12) and thus block the movement of that member.

It should be noted that each pair of adjacent moving elements 18 in this embodiment comprises flat parts 31 and (the term “flat” also meaning concave or convex surfaces), which are alternately of one piece with those elements which act as guides for their relative movement. These parts move relative to said elements 18. For example a first element 18 has a part 31 bearing two opposing projections 30 and located within part 32 of the second element 18 of the abovementioned pair of elements bearing another two projections opposing each other (which act together with those of first element 18 when the latter is at the maximum distance from the second). As a result of these parts 31 and 32 and their arrangement, there is guided enlargement movement of member 13 when the ring is fitted to a user's finger.

It should be noted that member 13 in question is in the form of an interrupted (open) ring and closes on a part 1A of ring 1 projecting into the hole 3 (see FIG. 8).

FIGS. 14 to 19 show a third embodiment of the invention. In these figures, wherein parts corresponding to those which were in already described figures are indicated by the same reference numbers, it is shown a ring 1 in which a member 13 positioned in a hole 3 has a plurality of elements 18 in the shape of an arc of a circle, which can move in the seat of ring 1 provided in wall 10 of such hole 3 opposing spring 19 which winds round their faces 18A. The face 18B of these elements (which is curvilinear or bent 14 in a cross-section parallel to the axis of hole 3) faces hole 3 and projects therein when member 13 is in the first working or resting position, while the elements re-enter their seat in wall 10 to fit a larger size finger. Between elements 18, which are held close together by spring 19, there is a spacer 40 which prevents them from overlapping.

Each spacer 40 has opposite projections 41 leaning on wall 10 of hole 3 when member 13 is associated with ring 1. In addition to this, each element 18 has a raised end portion 43 which can overlap with such spacer 40 and lean against the end 43 of the adjacent element. Seats 45 for spring 19 are provided in end 43.

FIGS. 20-25 illustrate other embodiments of the members 13 which can be used in rings having a rigid body 2 and are capable of changing the diameter of hole 3 according to the dimensions of the user's finger. These members have components similar to those of members 13 already described with reference to the preceding figures, in which relative movement makes it possible to change the diameter of hole 3 automatically and continuously in relation to a user's finger when the ring is worn.

The embodiments in FIGS. 20-25 can therefore be understood in the light of what has already been described. It should however be noted that faces 18B of parts of elements 18 are concave in member 13 in FIGS. 24 and 25 and are capable of projecting into hole 3 of ring 1 so as to come into contact with the user's finger.

Various embodiments of the invention have been described; yet further embodiments may however be obtained on the basis of what has been described (such as those in which spring 19 is defined in another way, for example as a leaf spring) and should be regarded as falling within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A ring for a user to wear, comprising a rigid annular body bounding a hole to allow insertion of a finger of the user, the hole having a wall which bounds the hole and is capable of acting together with the finger, the wall being radially expandable to allow the diameter of said hole to be changed and to allow the ring to fit various finger sizes, a seat containing a member radially deformable with reference to the hole being provided at the wall of the hole, said radially deformable member defining the diameter of the hole, said radially deformable member comprising a plurality of moving elements which can move relative to each other and are located around the hole in the ring, these moving elements being capable of coming into contact with the finger of the user wearing the ring at least for some diameters of the hole defined by them, said moving elements are separated from each other, a spacer being present between said moving elements, wherein each moving element separated from the adjacent moving element by said spacer comprises a raised end capable of overlapping with the adjacent moving element and leaning against the raised end of the adjacent moving element.
 2. A ring according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the hole is capable of adopting a plurality of values or sizes comprised between a minimum value and a maximum value, passing continuously from one value to the next.
 3. A ring according to claim 1, wherein the ring is made of precious material or hard stone.
 4. A ring according to claim 3, wherein the precious material comprises gold and the hard stone comprises onyx or agate.
 5. A ring according to claim 1, wherein said moving elements are capable of moving between the seat provided in the wall of the hole in opposition to a resilient member.
 6. A ring according to claim 5, wherein the resilient member encompasses all the moving elements, the resilient member being attached to terminal moving members at its ends.
 7. A ring according to claim 5, wherein a resilient member connecting two adjacent moving elements is provided.
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled)
 10. A ring according to claim 1, wherein the said moving elements are connected together by flat portions moveable on said moving elements and capable of guiding their relative movement against the resilient member.
 11. A ring according to claim 10, wherein said flat portions support projections capable of defining an end stop to the separating movement of the corresponding adjacent moving elements.
 12. A ring according to claim 1, wherein each moving element has opposing faces, a first face being outside the hole of the ring, and a second face facing the hole of the ring.
 13. A ring according to claim 12, this second face being arched in transverse cross-section parallel to the axis of the aforesaid hole. 14-16. (canceled) 